At Home: A Colourful House in Delhi

By Gabby Deeming

04 January 2016

As
the founder of Good Earth, which produces modern interpretations of
traditional Indian textiles and accessories, Delhi-based Anita Lal
lives in a house that is, unsurprisingly, a feast of
pattern, textiles and beautiful bold hues...

Although the name might mean nothing to most Europeans,
ask any style-conscious Indian and they will tell you that the GoodEarth stores
are an essential port of call for lovers of
design, colour and pattern. The shops feature floor upon floor of
beautifully crafted Indian ceramics, hand-block-printed and woven
textiles, and cool cafes serving up fresh and inventive dishes. To
the company's owner Anita Lal, after almost 20 years of business,
10 shops and a steadily expanding empire, this success appears to
have come as rather a surprise.

The
seeds of Good Earth were sown in the late Seventies, when
'accidental entrepreneur' Anita, a trained studio potter who had
two young children at that time, began working with rural artisans
to make their designs more contemporary. 'Modern interpretations of
traditional designs didn't really exist back then,' she explains.
'If you wanted colourful and interesting patterned pieces, you had
to import them.'

This
brings us to the present day and from India to London, where
Good Earth is sponsoring the Victoria and Albert Museum's autumn exhibition, The Fabric of India, a major
show exploring the world of handmade Indian textiles from the third
century to the present day. The exhibition includes more than 200
pieces, many on display for the first time, including a stunning
selection of historic clothes, heirloom fabrics and cutting-edge
fashion.

Walking
round Anita's house in Delhi, it is easy to see why Good Earth is a
natural partner for such an event. Pretty patterned textiles and
bright colours - the hallmarks of Good Earth - punctuate every
space. The feeling is contemporary, but each of the designs is
drawn from and celebrates the remarkable textile heritage of India
and the Silk Road.

The
house was built in the Sixties by Austrian architect Karl Malte von
Heinz as a modern haveli (a typical Indian courtyard house) for
Anita's father-in-law. Anita and her husband moved in 2010 and the
house has been gently evolving since. Considering her eye for
design, Anita is not precious when it comes to the house and, for
the most part, the decoration is modest and family oriented. The dragonfly voile at the dining-room windows
is from the very first Good Earth collection in 1996 and the
cushions on the sitting-room sofas are a combination of old designs
and pieces from last season's Silk Road-inspired
Samarqand collection. The furniture is a mix of
inherited, new and 'I'm not quite sure where that came from'.
Anita's five grandchildren 'own the space' in the large sitting
room. 'If something breaks, it breaks,' she says with a mild
shrug.

The
most striking room in the house is the dining room. Inspired by the
exquisite kalamkari tent of Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore in the
eighteenth century (which is included in the V&A
exhibition), it has a dramatically coloured chintz-design fabric
battened onto the walls to create a tent-like effect. The fabric
was designed by Anita's team and, as Anita is keen to point out,
printed onto a very inexpensive cloth.

The main sitting room
has a certain grandeur, positioned within cool white arches that
mark the centre of the house. It was originally intended to have an
open roof, as a haveli would, but practical thinking rained off
this idea and the double-height ceiling remained closed. When you
look up, it is still decorated in the original soft pinkish-red
paint that Anita's father-in-law chose 50 years ago. Anita loves
this detail, and while we are on the subject of colour, she is very
particular about the soft blue that she chose for the walls. 'This
colour never comes out properly in photographs,' she says. 'It
always looks too blue.' We have been warned!

The
room is arranged for convivial gatherings with inviting divan-style
sofas piled with cushions. Doors at both ends open onto the
garden where, on this hottest of days, frangipani and bougainvillea
are growing in abundance. Although Anita, frowning
at a monkey who watches us from the wall, assures us with the pride
of a keen gardener that winter is when it is at its most
beautiful.

The
relaxed atmosphere continues up the marble staircase, where old
family photographs tell a story of generations. At the top is a
charming blue sitting room with light printed voile curtains and
tall french windows that open onto the balcony. Just beyond it,
Anita's bedroom - her 'sanctuary' - is shared in equal parts by the
bed and the computer, a reminder that her role as creative head of
Good Earth is her work and also her rest.

India
is not famous for big interiors brands, particularly not one almost
entirely run by women. Anita cuts a maternal figure, and it is
clear her staff adore her. Her daughter Simran is behind the
collaboration with the V&A and, as CEO, is in charge of bringing
the company to an international market - although it already ships
worldwide through its website. New fans can get a more hands-on
introduction to Anita's style at a pop-up shop in London that is
set to open this autumn. Good Earth is definitely one to
watch.